Emma Barnett quit Today programme after BBC bosses 'rejected her ideas to reduce political coverage in favour of human interest stories'
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By CHRIS HASTINGS
Published: | Updated:
Emma Barnett quit Radio 4’s Today after her bid to change the direction of the flagship news programme sparked behind-the-scenes tensions, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
BBC sources say Ms Barnett, 41, the former Women’s Hour presenter, grew frustrated when her ideas about reducing the programme’s political coverage in favour of more human-interest items met with resistance.
One insider said: ‘That is not what the programme is and that is not what people wanted it to do.’
The BBC has not yet made any formal announcement regarding Ms Barnett’s departure from the long-running show.
But senior sources last night insisted her exit was already a done deal – and she is expected to be handed her own current affairs podcast on BBC Sounds.
Ms Barnett’s decision to leave, days after the departure of co-presenter Amol Rajan, is a major embarrassment for the flagship news programme.
She joined only in 2024, and Rajan was there for just five years. In contrast, John Humphrys hosted it for 32 years.
Emma Barnett’s decision to leave, days after the departure of co-presenter Amol Rajan, is a major embarrassment for the flagship news programme
Ms Barnett at the Harper's Bazaar International Women's Day celebration in London last March
Reports of her departure began to emerge on Friday, 24 hours after she had conducted a car crash interview with the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. In a heated exchange, the pair clash repeatedly over Conservative plans to slash welfare spending.
Listeners were surprised that Ms Barnett rather than Nick Robinson, the programme’s recognised political guru, had conducted the interview.
But some insiders say it would be wrong to view that particular encounter as a ‘camel straw moment’. They claim that Ms Barnett and BBC bosses had been planning her departure for some time. One source said: ‘The truth is this has been in the offing for months. The interview quite usefully confirmed everyone in their view.’
The departure has been an open secret at Today for some time. And an exit eases the tensions behind the scenes – it has been reported that she and Robinson were barely on speaking terms.
The MoS understands that Ms Barnett herself concluded that she wasn’t a good fit for the show and had questioned her suitability for the programme before signing on two years ago. Producers are keen to appoint a broadcaster with a recognised area of expertise as her replacement to join Robinson, Anna Foster and Justin Webb.
A BBC spokesman last night declined to answer the MoS’s questions about the departure.
Ms Barnett was unavailable for comment.
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